The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-10-12
Ex-Governor Gear.

Ex-Governor Gear.
The Hon. John III. q lear opened the cam
paign at Mediapolis, delivering an eloquent
speech, in which he reviewed the acts of the
Democratic administration, contrasting Its
promises with its acts of fultillment, taking
up the further promises Of Democrats and
putting against all this the work done by
the Republicans both at home in Iowa and
by the General Government when under
Republican control.
He began with the quotation from
Democratic paper asking the question as to
what the country had lost by turning the
Republicans out of office, and in answering
this question pointed out some OF the
losses. The country had lost by the change
the guidance of that patriotic influence
which, while succeeding the Democratic
party in 1861, found n depleted treasury,
its army and navy scattered, and the con-
tents of its national arsenals transferred to
the control of the South, and led the coun-
try safely through four years of war and the
reconstruction OF the States in rebellion.
BY turning Republicans out the country
had lost that wise financial policy which
reduced the debt and made the nations pa
per equal to gold and silver. 1t had lost
that influence which had dignified labor
and given it better reward than anywhere
else in the civilized world. II had made
all men free and equal before the law.
By turning the Republicans out of Office
the country had gained the rule of party
which, when President was chosen dis
tasteful to it, raised the standard Of rebel
lion and strove to rend asunder the Repub-
lie; it had gained the knowledge that the
giant wrong which had so long ruled and
polluted the nation still lives in spirit; it
had gained an administration which had
been able to devise no policy for the revis-
ion of the revenue laws except the hori-
zontal reduction of the tariff, and failing
in that declared in favor of tariff for rev.
enue only, which meant free trade; II had
gained President who had vetoed more
acts of Congress than all the other Presi-
dents since the formation of the Govern
ment; it had gained an administration
which in all its conventions offered a
sop" to the Irish by adopting resolutions
in sympathy with home rule" in Ireland,
yet turned deaf ear to the 100000 intelli-
gent people In Dakota who are knocking at
the door of Congress for admission, refus-
ing their request for the sole reason that
the people of that hourishing Territory are
in sympathy with Republican principles.
The country had gained President who
had been so forgetful of the patriotic SER
vices of the men who shed their blood for
the preservation of the Union as to offer to
IcStOIc tAO ChptuiCu uuBo W tuC ulCA WIZ
fought under them to destroy the Govern
ment. 1t had gained an administration
which declared itself in favor of civil-ser-
vice reform and still INDUCED in the work
of turning out faithful public servants in
the name of offensive partisans.
The country had gained an administra-
ton which during its long lease of power
prior to 1861 never enacted law in the
interest of the labor Of this country. The
Republicans had passed the homestead law,
and adopted the policy of protecting the
industries of this country, by which they
had been fostered until labor was much
better rewarded here than anywhere else
in the world. The speaker here took up
the arguments of Democrats against pro-
lection and demolished each by simply
quoting their own statistics.
| Then turning from National to State poll
itics, he called attention to the question Of
the right of State to control corporations
created by and under State laws. Iowa
was the first State to take this step. In
1874 the granger law was adopted, which
prescribed the maximum schedule of rates
for the carrying of freight and passengers.
This had been the first law in the interest
of the people as against the corporations,
and the interstate commerce law followed in
the same line, and was passed by Repub-
licans. He pointed out the provisions of
the new law, and Endorsed it. 1t had not
given the relief expected, because it was
changing old and settled customs, and in
the nature of things would require time.
| But much of the dis satisfaction had grown
out of the unaccountable delay of the Pres
ident in complying with the provisions of
the law. The law provided for the i'm
mediate appointment of commission who
were to have sixty days to study and FORM
ulate policy of enforcing the law, but the
President neglected to appoint this COM
mission until few days before this law
went into operation. The gentlemen had
no time to study the law, and they were
under the necessity OF suspending il in
cases, that they might investigate and not
do wrong to any people.
But the people of the United States
could hardly expect to realize perfection in
a single act of Congress, and that the first
one on the question. We could with rea-
son hope that with few amendments,
such as time would dictate, that the cues
ton was near a satisfactory settlement.
The Parliament Of Great Britain had dur
ing the last fifty years enacted over 3, 800
laws of control over railroads in that coun-
try and had not yet solved the transporta-
ton problem. Great Britain had little
more than double the mileage of railroads
that belonged to the State of Iowa alone.
Ex-Gov. Gear then called attention
to the difference between the platforms Of
the Republican and Democratic parties in
Iowa on the transportation question.